


Closure

by DaylightWriter



Category: Wentworth (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:27:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23946916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaylightWriter/pseuds/DaylightWriter
Summary: Franky runs into an unexpected yet familiar face when picking Bridget up from work and decides to get closure.
Relationships: Franky Doyle/Bridget Westfall
Comments: 7
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

The click of the hand-break along with the unbuckling of a seatbelt was heard as keys were ripped out of the engine and the car door was swung open. Franky all but jumped out of her car, unintentionally slamming the door shut as she pushed the button on her keys to lock it behind her, going into a slight jog towards her girlfriend’s workplace. This morning, the brunette had offered to drive Bridget to and from work today since it was her day off and she just wanted to spend some more time with her partner, even if it was just for a twenty minute car journey. Usually, Franky would just wait in the car whenever she came to pick Bridget up but she’d been out running errands this afternoon and was now close to emptying her bladder inside her own underwear.

She done a small hop up onto the pavement before jogging to the glass door, grabbing the handle and pulling it open. It landed with a soft thud as Franky reached the main desk, slapping her hands down on the table lightly. The receptionist looked up from his desktop at the sound, smiling when he noticed who was there.

“Hey, Franky, what’s going-,” his question was cut off by a desperate Franky.

“I need the key to the toilet.” She breathed out, ready to burst.

“Umm, sure, hang on,” he began rummaging through his drawer to find the key, going through the top two before reaching the third. “It’s here somewhere,” he shuffled various items around as he searched.

Franky let out a groan, her hands tapping away on the desk. “Jack, if you don’t find that key now I’m gonna piss myself right here.”

The young man let out a snort, looking up to make a joke before taking in the glare that was being thrown his way. The smile slowly dropped from his face as he got back to raking the drawer. Franky looked up at the clock behind him. 16:45. Bridget would be finished in fifteen minutes so Franky didn’t want to risk leaving to find another toilet elsewhere. After what felt like an eternity, Jack finally produced a key, holding it up above the desk for a split second before Franky snatched it from his hand and set off in a fast paced walk towards the toilet.

After Franky had prevented a potentially humiliating event from occurring, she moved to wash her hands, feeling much more relaxed. She quickly dried her hands and left the toilet, making sure to lock the door behind. Jack looked up at her again when he heard the sound of the door being opened and closing, an amused smirk appearing on his face as Franky turned towards him, her lips pursed as she let out a breath and rolled her eyes simultaneously. She set off to the desk again, placing the key down when she got there.

“All good?”

Green eyes narrowed down on him, her jacket-clad arms coming to rest on the desk as she leaned her top half forward. “What are you still doing here anyway? Thought you were a part-timer.” She decided not to rise to his teasing comment prior to hers, knowing it was just banter, and was genuinely curious as to why the dark-haired male was working on a Friday. Every other Friday Franky had come to get Bridget she had never noticed the young man through the window and, when she tagged along on a work’s night out, had discovered that Life Solutions was just a part-time job for him as he was still in college.

Jack shrugged in response, leaning back in his chair and twisting a pen between his fingers. “Needed the extra hours, Amy wants us to get a house together.” He referred to his girlfriend. Franky didn’t really know her well, she’d only seen her on nights out but she liked Jack and Amy seemed good for him.

The brunette gave him an impressed nod, her eyes giving away a teasing glint. “Big steps for ya, Jackie boy. Ya sure she’ll keep you that long?”

Jack snorted. “If Bridget lasted this long living with you I’m sure we’ll make it.” He winked.

‘God knows how she’s managed it,’ Franky thought.

The pair engaged in playful banter with each other, as they always would, waiting for Bridget to finish her shift. Green eyes kept glancing up at the clock as if she was counting down the seconds until she saw her lover. The sound of heels began clicking down the corridor around the corner, Franky glanced behind her to get a peek but she knew by the footsteps that it wasn’t Bridget. Deciding that the person was of no interest to her, she turned back to Jack, poking fun at the scruffiness of his newly grown facial hair. The heels continued onto the carpeted floor, coming to a slow half just off to the side of Franky. The brunette laughed at Jack’s retort about his beard, choosing to make fun of Franky’s outfit choice. She’d opted for a plain white T-shirt, black jeans and her boots but was also wearing a hoodie underneath a flannel jacket.

“Fuck off will ya, it was cold.” The pair laughed, neither noticing that they now had company just six feet away.

A voice suddenly broke the sound of laughter. “Franky?” The quiet yet questioning tone drew the woman in question’s attention away from the receptionist.

Franky turned her head towards the voice, her face with a wide toothy grin, tongue peeking out from between her teeth as her eyes literally sparkled. The smile slowly dropped from her face when she took in the person in front of her, pulling away from the desk as her posture stiffened. She turned away from Jack completely, facing the newcomer. The brunette’s brow furrowed, her lips pressing together, puffed, as her nostrils flared slightly. For the first time in four years, Franky found herself face to face with Erica Davidson, yet another person who had walked out on her without so much of a goodbye. She looked much the same, dressed in a navy skirt and black blouse with a matching navy blazer. Her hair straight and sitting at her shoulders. Franky couldn’t believe her misfortune right now. From the minute she discovered that the former governor wouldn’t be coming back to Wentworth, she had envisioned a meeting with her so many times – albeit more so a confrontation. Out of all of the places to bump into Erica Davidson, it would be in Bridget’s, Franky’s girlfriend’s, place of work. Erica, recognising Franky’s defensive stance, gave a small smile.

She let out a breathy chuckle. “It’s been a while. How have you been?”

Franky shrugged, her arms remaining by her sides as she gave a small shake of her head. “What’s it to you?”

The blonde took a small step forward, “It’s good to see you again, Franky.” Another shrug. “Franky, look-,” she began but was swiftly cut off.

“Cut that small talk crap, ay? What are you even doing here?” There was a lot Franky wanted to say to her in that moment but couldn’t bring herself to do so. She didn’t want to cause a scene when there didn’t need to be one. All she concerned herself with right now was whether Erica and Bridget knew each other.

Before Erica had a chance to respond, Franky’s gaze moved to behind Erica as her partner came into view, placing a folder inside her bag. The brunette felt herself loosen up in relief, her entire stance softening at the sight of Bridget. The older woman looked up, smiling at Franky as she made her way towards. It didn’t take Bridget long to sense the tension in the air, she looked between her lover and the woman opposite her as Bridget walked past the other blonde to stop beside Franky. Bridget looked between the two women cautiously, recognising the other blonde as her co-worker’s client. Concern filled Bridget’s face as possibilities began running through her mind. What if the other woman recognised Franky from TV and had said something to upset her? The smaller of the three women looked up at her girlfriend.

“Everything alright?” The question was quiet but concern was evident in Bridget’s voice.

Franky’s gaze hardened as she looked back at Erica. “Yeah, we’re good. Aren’t we, Miss Davidson?” The way Franky spat out her name didn’t go unheard.

‘Davidson? Davidson?’ Bridget began raking her brain for the name and if Franky had mentioned her before. It suddenly hit her as she looked back at the blonde. ‘Fuck. Erica Davidson.’ Though she had never met her, Bridget was mildly aware of the questionable nature of the former governor’s relationship with Franky. Vera had briefed her on this shortly after the blonde had convinced the other woman to drop the verbal abuse charges against her partner. Franky had also mentioned Erica during one of their sessions back at Wentworth, she hadn’t went into much detail other than the fact that Erica was one of the ones who had walked away from her on several occasions – one being when Franky was unjustly slotted for giving drugs to another inmate.

It didn’t take a genius for Bridget to figure out that there was more to their relationship than some bad blood between an inmate and a governor and judging by the tension in the air, Bridget’s previous assumptions became clear to her.

“You ready to go?” Franky’s voice took her out of her thoughts as soft green eyes gazed upon her.

Bridget gave a small smile, deciding that now wasn’t the best time to raise any queries about Erica Davidson and nodded. Franky smiled in response, gently taking her girlfriend’s hand as she led them to the door.

“See ya later, Jack.” Franky called out as Bridget smiled at him, Jack giving a quick goodbye in response as he got back to working on the computer, trying to ignore the woman now standing alone opposite him.

As the couple approached the door, Erica’s voice rang out.

“Franky, wait,” the brunette was reluctant to look at her, hand tightening around Bridget’s for comfort. “It’s not my place but maybe we could have a coffee sometime? Clear the air?” Erica sounded hopeful, raking through her handbag before produced a small rectangular card. She took slow steps towards Franky, holding out her card in front of her. “Please… Consider it.”

Franky could feel Bridget’s gaze burning into her face, anticipating the brunette’s next move. At that moment, Franky wished she could hear what was going on in her girlfriend’s head. With a sigh, she reached out and quickly pocketed the card without a word.

The brunette pushed the door open and held it, allowing Bridget to pass through first. Neither of the women glancing back at Erica. Following close behind her partner, Franky unlocked the car and the pair got into their respective sides. As Bridget was buckling in her seatbelt, Franky froze in her seat, hands placed on the steering and her head against the headrest. She was staring at the building they had just left and could still make out Erica standing inside the lobby, now occupying herself with her phone as she approached the front desk, presumably to fill out paperwork. Franky let out a sigh. The weightless card feeling heavy as it sat in her jacket pocket.

“You know her?” Her voice broke the silence.

Bridget eyes immediately locked on Erica through the window as she shook her head.

“She’s Mark’s client, I’ve only ever noticed her a handful of times.” It was the truth. It was policy that the psychologists didn’t interact with another’s client unless directed to. In fact, the only reason Bridget had even seen Erica was because Mark’s office was right next door to her own and she would sometimes see the other blonde coming and going to appointments whenever Bridget was on lunch or going home.

Franky let out a sigh. She turned her head to face Bridget, not surprised when green eyes met warm, empathetic blue ones. The brunette gave her a timid smile.

“That’s Erica Davidson.”

Bridget nodded. “I figured.” Her answer was quiet, silence following as the two gazed at each other. “You going to call her?” The blonde wasn’t trying to provoke Franky. In fact, she thought closure might be a good thing for her partner – for both her and Erica – because the other blonde’s sudden departure had clearly made an impact on Franky at the time. The brunette had almost completely shut herself off from her family in H-block after Erica’s resignation, slowly losing herself to the – often brutal and immoral - duties of a top dog.

The other woman let out a sigh as her head rolled back against the headrest, her eyes rolling. Silence followed yet again. “I was in a bad place when she left, Gidge.” Bridget knew not to interrupt, she wanted Franky to open up in her own time. “I was pissed at her for leaving and I took it out on the wrong people. She was a good governor but she was fucked, it was all about control. She was out of her depth, tried to get in-between Jacs and Red, pretended like she gave a shit but she just wanted to look good for the cameras.” Franky’s tone was sharp, her voice raising slightly as she gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Ya know, at first, I thought she’d be the one who’d make a difference… But then she let me take the fall for her fuck up.” The brunette had been hurt when Erica allowed her to take the fall for giving Toni drugs all those years ago. Franky had found out through the grapevine that it had actually been a teacher inside the prison, one Erica had recommended and was aware of his indiscretions, yet the blonde had done nothing to look out for Franky.

Bridget listened carefully to the words being spoken. Her heart was breaking at the clear hurt and anger in Franky’s voice, clearly the former governor had made an impact on her lover but she had walked out on her just like everyone else seemed to have done.

“Franky, if closure’s what you need, you should take the opportunity to get it.” The words stabbed at Bridget’s heart. Franky had disclosed her former attraction to the other woman and though she felt secure in their relationship, Erica had clearly taken a toll on Franky all of those years ago.

Green eyes met Bridget’s as Franky furrowed her brow. Her head shook.

“Nuh.”

Before Franky could voice her protests further, Bridget spoke out.

“Franky, baby, you trusted her… And it sounds like she was the first person to give a shit about you in there, the first person who could actually help you. It’s okay to be angry about what she done.”

“Ya know what she said, Gidge? That I was a waste. All because she couldn’t fucking handle the pressure of who she was, who she was pretending to be but there was still a tiny part of me that wanted to prove that I was good person.” Franky’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, knuckles turning white. “When I heard she’d left, I shut down. I done some shit, you’ve heard the stories.” Bridget had indeed heard about Franky’s brief reign over the prison but the blonde understood why her partner had acted the way she had, she was scared but there was no one to keep her afloat so she struggled. “I don’t blame her…” Franky closed her eyes before opening them again, this time with tears as she fought to keep them from falling. “I had no one, Gidge.” Her voice cracked.

Bridget’s hand came up to squeeze Franky’s, trying to loosen her grip from the steering wheel. “Baby, look at me.” She waited until Franky done just that. “She was the first person at Wentworth that gave you a chance and she broke whatever bit of trust the two of you had. You’re a good person, baby, and it’s okay for you to be angry. That shit that happened in Wentworth? It doesn’t define who you are, it will never define you. You could not be further from all that bullshit she said about you, okay?” Bridget felt Franky’s grip relax before her girlfriend gently took her hand, nodding at Bridget’s words.

The two allowed silence to fill the car, the pair of the them just looking at one another as Franky caressed the back of Bridget’s hand with her thumb. The blonde’s free hand came up to stroke Franky’s cheek, her thumb wiping away the tear that escaped as it rolled down soft skin.

“Ya think I should talk to her?” The silence finally broke.

Bridget leaned forward to peck Franky’s lips. “Whatever you decide to do, I’m here for you.” Their foreheads pressed against each other’s.

After a few more minutes, just basking in the closeness of one another, the couple pulled away and settled into their seats. The brunette started the car, more than eager to get back to their home and start cooking them dinner. Cooking had always been a form of anchor to her, until Bridget of course. Whenever Franky was having a particularly rough day, she loved nothing more than getting started in the kitchen, sometimes raking cupboards for various ingredients to see what she could conjure up. It’d been something that she’d done since she was a teenager, her foster homes more often than not having very little to cook with so Franky would just make do with what was already there. The brunette loved to experiment in the kitchen and Bridget thoroughly enjoyed being the one to witness this firsthand, always enjoying what Franky would present to her on a plate.

Following their meal – and an impromptu dance around the kitchen -, the couple retired into their living room after changing into their loungewear, snuggling up on the couch as they stuck on a random, old movie. They sat close, Bridget on her side with her head on Franky’s shoulder whilst Franky’s cheek rested on soft, golden hair with her arm wrapped around Bridget’s shoulder, gently stroking her fingers up and down the psychologist’s arm. Bridget’s lay loosely over Franky’s waist, fingers toying and twisting the hem of the paralegal’s T-shirt, their legs stretched out onto the small table in front of them as they played a light game of footsie throughout the night. Bridget’s free hand gently scratching the back of Franky’s neck as Franky’s rested close to the hand playing with her shirt.

Despite her conversation with Bridget in the car, Franky’s mind kept drifting back to the rectangular card sitting in her jacket pocket. It’s not that she didn’t want some sort of closure with Erica, Franky had just moved on from that part of her life and the person Erica once knew her as was not the same one she had encountered today. However, there was a small part of her that wanted to scream just how much better she was doing, wanted to prove that she wasn’t the waste of resources Erica had once claimed her to be. Yet another part of her wanted to thank the blonde for being the one to introduce her to the possibility of a career in law.

The low murmur of the TV could be heard in the living room along with Bridget’s low, even breathing as she slowly fell asleep on Franky. The brunette turned her head to admire her girlfriend, softly smiling when Bridget nuzzled deeper into her shoulder. Franky truly loved the life she was living and there was nothing she would change about it for the world but she almost felt as if she owed Erica the chance to explain herself. The younger woman placed a kiss on the top of Bridget’s head, the hand that was previously resting on her stomach came up to caress her lover’s arm that still lay across Franky’s stomach.

“Gidge,” she whispered, “Bridget.” The almost sleeping woman hummed tiredly from her shoulder. “Let’s go to bed, ay?”

The blonde hummed in response but still made no effort to move. Franky chuckled quietly, removing her hand from Bridget to grab the TV remote and plunge them into silence. She placed her hand back on Bridget’s arm as she manoeuvred herself carefully from the psychologist’s tight yet comforting grip, keeping contact with the older woman as she joined their hands.

“C’mon, babe, up.” Franky commanded softly.

Tired blue eyes gazed up at her partner, a tired smirk finding its way onto her face. “You’re beautiful.” Her voice husky from her sleep deprived state.

Franky playfully rolled her eyes before pulling on Bridget’s hands, “Alright, sweet talker, let’s get upstairs.”

The brunette decided to take matters into her own hands – quite literally – and placed Bridget’s arms around her neck before tucking an arm underneath her legs whilst the other support the blonde’s back. Franky stood, lifting Bridget as if she weighed nothing. The older woman let out a throaty laugh, Franky hoisting her up before making her way to the bedroom, banging her elbow against the wall when she tried to turn off the living room light switch.

The pair laughed their way through the house, Franky stumbling and almost dropping Bridget when she miscalculated where she’d left a bag in the bedroom. Usually, Bridget would scold her for leaving things around the room but she couldn’t bring herself to care, amused by the cursing she was hearing as her girlfriend struggled to regain her balance before they both plummeted on top of the bed. Bridget’s laugh was infectious and before Franky knew it, they were laying on their sides facing one another in a fit of giggles. However, even in the low lighting of their bedroom, Bridget could see that Franky’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. The blonde placed a soothing hand on her girlfriend’s cheek, stroking the soft skin.

“You okay?”

Franky inhaled deeply, turning her head into Bridget’s hand as she kissed her palm.

“I’m gonna call her, Gidge.” It came out as an assertive statement.

Bridget just responded with a smile of understanding, her gaze warm. She understood what Franky was telling her, her girlfriend believed that everyone deserved a second chance and clearly there were still some unresolved issues between herself and Erica. It didn’t matter if Franky hadn’t even so much as thought about the other woman in four years but she knew if Franky didn’t take this opportunity to clear up any bad blood, she might regret it. It was a quality that Bridget both adored and admired of Franky’s and it had led to several good relationships in the brunette’s life – her dad, Liz, Will Jackson – and she had even tried to give Mike Pennisi the same treatment but… Well, that didn’t turn out as well as Franky had hoped it might have. She was truly a good person and Bridget would support her decision no matter what she decided.

“I’m proud of you, baby.” Franky smiled. “If you need anything from me, you know I’ll always be there.”

The brunette let out a breath she was unaware that she had been holding, almost as if she was relieved that Bridget was still willing to support her. It really shouldn’t surprise at this point considering everything they’ve been through together but it had still taken Franky some time to get used to having someone in her corner… Permanently.

“You still got my back?” She joked, referring back to a conversation they’d had in the corridors of Wentworth.

Bridget’s eyes twinkled in recognition. “Yeah.”

Franky smiled, leaning forward to kiss her partner until sleep overtook them both.


	2. Chapter 2

When morning came, Franky carefully untangled herself from Bridget’s embrace, gently stroking back her blonde hair from her forehead as she placed a kiss there. The sleeping woman just responded by snuggling deeper into the bed, burying herself on Franky’s side of the bed. Franky quickly tied her hair up into a ponytail. The brunette removed herself from the room to get started on breakfast, glancing at the clock as she began to fry eggs in a simmering pan. 10:23am. She and Bridget would normally be up a lot earlier than this, especially on a Saturday, but it’d been a busy week for the both of them and they clearly needed the extra rest. It wasn’t often that they slept in but when they did, it was always refreshing. Taking another pan from a cupboard, Franky opened the fridge and took out an unopened packet of bacon, placing the strips into the pan before placing it on an unused hob, allowing it to sizzle.

Once she was content that the food could be left unattended for several minutes, she made her way to the front door and rummaging through her pocket to produce the small card, holding it between her fingers as she made her way back into the kitchen. She picked up her phone from the counter, having left it there overnight, and held it in her other hand. Franky leaned her back against the counter, studying the card with uncertainty in her eyes. She read over the details multiple times as if trying to reassure her decision. With the sound of sizzling in the background, Franky tilted her head up to the ceiling, eyes squeezing shut as she exhaled a breath. Bringing her attention back to the card before unlocking her phone and typing in the numbers, placing the card down behind her as her thumb hovered over the call icon on the screen. Deciding to bite the bullet before she accidentally burnt breakfast, Franky tapped the button, bringing the phone to her ear and silently praying that it would go to voicemail.

It rang once. Twice. Three times. Four times.

Franky began to relax until, abruptly, the ringing stopped and she was met with silence, signalling that the call was connecting. The brunette felt her heart drop, her stomach twisting.

“Erica Davidson.” The neutral greeting came, clear as day.

It took Franky a second to gather her thoughts.

“Hello?” Erica’s voice sounded out again.

Franky exhaled through puffed cheeks.

“Um, Erica, it’s Franky… Doyle.” She mentally scolded herself for the unnecessary use of her last name.

A baited breath. The brunette could practically hear the smile in Erica’s voice when she finally spoke.

“Franky, hi, it’s great-”

“Yeah, listen, that coffee you mentioned yesterday? Maybe we could grab it tomorrow if you’re free?” Franky interrupted her.

Another beat of silence. It felt like an eternity before she heard a response.

“How about noon? At Starbucks in the Galleria?”

Franky nodded. “Yeah, yeah, sounds good. I gotta go but I’ll see you then.”

The brunette could not hang up fast enough, not interested in hearing whether Erica was going to reply before she hit the hang up icon and put her phone back down on the counter. Franky rubbed her face with her hand, sighing for what felt like the millionth time in the last five minutes. Erasing any thoughts of Erica Davidson from her head, Franky turned back to the pans sitting on top of the oven, cooking away. She took a hold of one of the handles and flipped the eggs expertly, smirking with confidence to herself. It was yet another skill she had mastered during her teens, not that she considered it to be a huge deal but when she watched Bridget attempt to – and ultimately fail – at tossing pancakes one morning, Franky believed it to be worth boasting about.

Franky spent the next couple of minutes cooking up a feast, rummaging the fridge for any other suitable breakfast foods. Once the food in the pans were close to being completely cooked, she stuck several slices of bread in the toaster to complete her meal. Unfortunately, her plan to surprise Bridget with breakfast in bed came to halt when the blonde walked in just seconds after the toast had popped up. She ran a hand through her short hair before crossing her arms over her chest, drawing her dressing gown over her tank top. Franky turned off the oven, sliding the food onto plates.

Bridget hummed, coming to stand behind Franky as she wrapped her arms around her lover’s waist whilst she buttered the toast. “You should’ve woken me, it’s almost eleven.” A kiss was placed on Franky’s shoulder blade.

Franky made a noise of protest.

“No way, Gidge, ya needed it. Besides, I was thinking we could spend the day in bed anyway.” The suggestive tone did not go unheard.

As much as Bridget would have loved to spend the day in bed with her lover, she couldn’t help but wonder if Franky would have wanted to contact Erica following their encounter yesterday. Almost as if she had read Bridget’s mind, Franky spoke up.

“I called Erica this morning, gonna meet her for a coffee tomorrow, you’re more than welcome to come along?” The brunette sounded hopeful but Bridget felt that this was something she needed to do on her own, despite the blonde’s immediate instinct to be with her partner. She knew she had to tread carefully with her reply, not wanting Franky to feel offended by her decision not to go.

“Baby, you know I’ll support you with this but maybe it’s not the best idea for me to come along to your first meeting with her?”

Franky frowned, not because Bridget wouldn’t be coming but because she had implied that there would be more encounters between herself and Erica, as if it would become a regular occurrence. That’s not what Franky had in mind at all.

“It might be good for the two of you to clear the air before any big introductions.” Bridget continued, lips moving against Franky’s back.

The brunette appreciated where this was coming from, her hand coming rest on Bridget’s around her waist and squeezing. She turned her head to nod and smile. Not wanting to spend another moment talking about Erica, Franky turned in Bridget’s arms, her own bare tattooed ones coming to rest over the blonde’s shoulders.

“I was gonna take you up breakfast in bed, ya know?” They began to sway. “Then we’d stay in bed, maybe lose the clothes…” The couple closed their eyes at the imagery, Franky’s lips curling into a playful grin.

Before their thoughts could become a reality, Bridget pulled back from her girlfriend, keeping her arms wrapped around her waist.

“As… Appealing as that sounds, I was thinking we could go visit my parents today.”

Franky’s eyes sprung open, face dropping at the suggestion. It wasn’t that she didn’t get along with her soon-to-be in-laws, it was quite the opposite in fact, Franky would just much rather spend the day making love to her partner. She tried not to let her disappointment show before catching a teasing glint in Bridget’s eyes, she pulled her closer into her body, pressing them tightly together with no space between them.

“You’re a pain in the arse, Gidge, ya know?” She placed a wet kiss against Bridget’s cheek, receiving a throaty laugh as Franky felt butterflies at the sound.

Bridget’s fingers gripped onto the back of Franky’s shirt, their faces pressed close beside one another, noses nuzzling, breaths mingling. “It’s been a while since we went out, baby.” A kiss, Franky’s tongue coming to caress her own.

“Ya want me to wine and dine ya?” Another kiss. Franky smirked into it when she felt Bridget’s hands coming to rest on her bum. The breakfast on the counter behind her long forgotten as she manoeuvred Bridget backwards towards the kitchen table, the kiss becoming more heated as Franky’s removed her arms from their place around Bridget’s neck, one hand resting on her cheek whilst the other pulled her even closer by the small of her back.

Bridget broke their kiss with a chuckle when she felt her bum hit the edge of the table, not really surprised by her current position. The kitchen table was a favourable place for Franky… Just like their bed… The shower… The couch… The wall beside the front door… The back porch… Even in the backseat of Franky’s car… Okay, the couple were adventurous outside of their bedroom. Franky, trying to bite back a smile to continue their kiss, pulled Bridget in closer by the back of her neck. The small metal band sitting on her ring finger felt cold against Bridget’s skin. Just three days after Franky’s impromptu proposal, Bridget had surprised the brunette with a ring of her own.

_Two Months Ago_

_Franky entered the bedroom, face down as she read emails on her phone, an armful of paperwork held between her chest and arm, not even acknowledging her girlfriend sitting on the bed with a glass of wine in her hand. Bridget waited. The brunette turned to the dressing table, placing the pile of paper down. Her brow furrowed when it sat on top of something, she withdrew her attention from her phone and lifted the papers to see what she had disrupted. Green eyes widened at a small velvet box, similar to the one she had just seen days ago. She locked her phone and placed it down, hands shaking slightly as she picked up the small box, examining it closely._

_Keeping it held in her palm, she spun around to finally face Bridget, who sat on the edge of the bed with a shy smile._

_“What’s this?” Franky asked, gesturing to the box in her hand. She knew exactly what it was but she wasn’t sure if Bridget was serious or not._

_A box.” She stated obviously, a teasing smirk on her face._

_Franky laughed. “Yeah, I figured that. What’s this about, Gidge?”_

_The blonde stood, placing her wine glass down as she approached Franky and gently took the box out of her hand and opened it. A simple silver band sitting inside._

_“Ya know, you’ve already said yes.” The younger woman teased._

_Bridget’s eyes were full of love._

_“Marry me, Franky Doyle?” Though she already knew the answer, Bridget could feel her nerves flow through her body._

_Franky didn’t say anything. She just took the ring from its place in the box and slid it onto her finger effortlessly. She then took the box and gently tossed it behind her, taking Bridget’s face in her hands as she began a slow, passionate kiss. There were no words needed and seconds later, the couple found themselves in a similar state of undress as they fell into their bed._

Franky briefly broke the kiss as her hands came to rest on the hem of her shirt, pulling it upwards to reveal soft, pale skin, completely bare as she forewent a bra the night before. She threw the shirt down on the floor, her hands coming to grip the back of Bridget’s thighs as she hoisted her onto the table with ease. The blonde remained in an upright position, her own hands coming to remove her tank top, leaving her in nothing but a white lace bra and a pair of Franky’s jogging bottoms. Bridget allowed her hands to rest on Franky’s cheeks whilst Franky’s pressed flat into the table beside Bridget’s thighs, their torsos pressed together, skin-on-skin as Franky connected her lower half to Bridget’s, both groaning at the new pressure.

The brunette began a slow grind, Bridget’s hand clutching at her hips, their tongues fighting for dominance. Franky’s left hand came up to sit just below the clasp of Bridget’s bra, her right rubbing her thigh up and down. The brunette skilfully unclasped her partner’s bra with her least dominant hand, pulling a strap down each arm before tossing it away, not caring where it landed. Bridget’s hands placed themselves back at Franky’s hips whilst her own went to Bridget’s thighs. Her right hand crept closer and closer to the hem of her bottoms. Franky felt Bridget’s hand move from her hip and without any teasing or warning, pushed past the top of her own bottoms and into her underwear.

“Fuck,” Franky whispered out against her lover’s lips, momentarily distracted by gentle fingers slipping through her. She welcomed a shiver over her body when Bridget’s thumb made contact with her clit, two fingers pressed against her entrance at the same time before gently pushing inside of her.

A quiet gasp passed through Franky’s lips at the pleasant invasion. Her eyes rolled back at the feeling of fingers curling inside of her, a thumb pressing gently on the small, sensitive bundle of nerves. Bridget knowing exactly when to make contact, when to twist and curl, knew exactly what made her lover squirm. Whilst her hand was occupied with Franky, Bridget’s head rolled back when the brunette began placing kisses down the right side of her neck, stopping to gently nibble and suck on the soft skin. Franky’s left hand rested on the other side of Bridget’s neck. The room filled with near silent gasps of pleasure, Bridget drawing Franky closer and closer to her release. Bridget was completely distracted by the task at hand – so to speak – and what her lover was doing to her neck that she gasped in surprise when Franky’s right hand slipped straight into her underwear, slowly stroking two fingers up and down where she knew she was completely drenched.

It didn’t take long for Franky to work her up to the point of release and Bridget would have been embarrassed at how close she was to coming had she not been so focussed on getting Franky to that point as well. The brunette moved her face back up to Bridget’s, capturing her gasps as she allowed their tongues to meet again. Franky’s fingers began to move faster inside of her, thumb rubbing circles around her clit and soon after, Bridget found her stomach clenching and legs quivering as she let out a low moan against Franky’s lips. Franky kept her fingers and thumb moving, wanting Bridget to ride out her orgasm as she approached her own, the blonde trying to regain control of her hand that was currently still down Franky’s pants during her haze. Seconds later, Franky found her own release, a broken breath exhaling from her lips. As they recovered from their mutual orgasms, Franky leaned her entire top half into Bridget, nose meeting the crook of her neck as her temple rested against Bridget’s cheek. They removed their hands from one another’s pants almost simultaneously. Bridget’s fingers coming up to stroke the bare skin of Franky’s back whilst Franky’s hands rested flat against the table yet again.

Minutes passed. The two of them just basking in each other’s comforting touches, catching their breath. They stayed like that for a short while, appreciating the quiet moment. After they had regained their breathing back to normal, Franky pulled back to look into Bridget’s eyes, meeting them with a smile and a gentle peck on the lips.

“Let’s go to the beach.” Bridget eventually broke the silence.

Franky let out a laugh at the unexpected suggestion. “We gotta work on your idea of pillow talk, Gidge.”

The blonde chuckled. “I’m serious.” She kissed Franky’s cheek.

Blue eyes met green. Franky was unable to prevent the smile from spreading on her face, dimples on full display as her tongue peeked out from between her teeth. Her eyes darted up to the ceiling, letting out another laugh and shaking her head playfully.

“Sure, we’ll go to the beach.” Her tone light. “But…” She drawled the word out, “We should probably get some breakfast.” Her head gestured over to the forgotten plates, food turned cold. “Let’s go wash up and I’ll sort out the food.”

The couple shared another chaste kiss, Bridget nodding before sliding off of the table, forcing Franky to take a step backwards. The brunette’s gaze zeroed in on Bridget’s still naked torso, smirking when her eyes met with Bridget’s playful glare.

“You can’t tell me you don’t like what ya see.” Franky gestured to her own bare torso, arms stretched out at her sides before dropping.

The blonde refused to lose eye contact, the sight just beneath far too tempting for her to even consider food. She shook her head with a smile, moving to pick up her discarded tank top. Franky grabbed her own shirt and pulled it over her head quickly, hoping to catch another glance at Bridget but pouted when she saw the blonde already wearing her own top, her bra dangling from her fingers. The older woman made her way to the bathroom, aware of Franky following closely behind her before they entered the room together, freshening themselves up.

Once they had reentered the kitchen, Bridget quickly disinfected the tabletop, taking a seat once she had finished. Franky decided that a cold breakfast would have to make do, making a mental note to get a new microwave after their one broke a week ago. She took cutlery out of the drawer and took a plate in each hand, placing them down at the table before taking a seat beside Bridget. They tucked into the food, forks and knives occasionally scraping against the bottom of the plates. It took them the whole of five minutes to finish, Franky opting to fill the dishwasher as Bridget took a shower.

By noon, they were both fresh, dressed and prepared for a day at the beach. Bridget in a white singlet and light blue three-quarter-length jeans and a pair of strappy sandals whereas Franky wore a black T-shirt and blue skinny jeans complete with a pair of her converse trainers. The couple chose to leave the house without their jackets and put their sunglasses on, immediately hit with a wave of heat when they stepped outside, heading over to Franky’s car without a second thought. When Franky had first gotten her car, she had always volunteered to drive them out to wherever they were going, it wasn’t for any reason other than the fact that she got bored very quickly whilst in the passenger seat. There’d be the odd occasion where Bridget would drive them but there was only so much backseat driving she could handle so after a few trips together, the couple decided that it’d be best for Franky to be the designated driver whenever they went to places together.

They pulled up in the car park, getting out of the car before joining hands after Franky made her way around to Bridget, heading off to the sand. The beach was crowded, uncomfortably so and given the lack of free space, Bridget pulled Franky away from the direction of the sand and enticed her on a walk instead. Franky’s thumb stroked the back of Bridget’s hand, engaging in small talk as they walked.

“You feeling alright about tomorrow?”

Franky shrugged, “Do ya not find it strange that I’ll be sitting having coffee with a client?”

Bridget recognised the deflection. “Technically, she’s not my client.”

Silence.

“You’re alright about this, aren’t ya? Cause if you’re not, I don’t have to see her. I’ll call her right now and tell her to fuck off.”

The blonde smiled.

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?” Bridget knew the incident that Franky was referring to and she’d be lying if she said the thought sat well with her but she trusted Franky and what happened four years ago was at an extremely low risk of happening again. Before Franky could respond, Bridget spoke again. “It’ll be good for the two of you, baby. Don’t worry about me.”

Franky frowned but accepted the blonde’s answer. She untangled their hands to throw her arm over the shorter woman’s shoulder, hand hanging just beside her collarbone and sidestepped closer to her girlfriend. She turned her face to Bridget and placed a lingering kiss on the side of her head as they continued to walk.

After a few minutes of admiring the view beside them, Franky halted their steps, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

“Take a picture with me?” She asked, positioning them so that their backs were to the ocean.

Bridget didn’t respond verbally but wrapped her arm around Franky’s waist whilst her other hand held onto the fingers still sitting by her chest. The couple beamed into the camera, eyes still hidden by their sunglasses. Franky took several more photos. One of them smiling, one with Franky mocking a pout as Bridget laughed, another of Bridget kissing Franky’s cheek as the brunette smiled widely and blushed. The younger woman scrolled through the photos, smiling down at her phone before showing Bridget them.

“You’re fucking beautiful.” This time it was Bridget who blushed.

“Come on, Casanova.” She resumed her position with her arm around Franky’s waist as the taller of the two placed her back over Bridget’s shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought. As always, I do not own or am associated with the show or the characters.


	3. Chapter 3

Franky awoke first yet again, eyes blinking slowly as she adjusted to the darkened room. She was laying on her stomach facing Bridget, arm under one pillow as the other rested atop of Bridget’s waist whilst the woman slept on her side, face to Franky. The brunette smiled sleepily, turning slowly onto her back as she stretched out her arms, letting out a yawn at the same time. She glanced at her phone on the nightstand to check the time. 8:56am. Despite their late start yesterday, Franky still considered this to be a lie in and contemplated moving out of the warmth of the bed and into the kitchen. Deciding that breakfast could wait until Bridget was awake this time, she turned onto her side. She tucked one hand underneath her head and reached the other out to stroke Bridget’s cheek. The blonde stirred at the movement. Franky froze immediately, not wanting to wake the other woman up.

They had spent the majority of their afternoon yesterday taking a stroll before driving to a restaurant for dinner. Once arriving back home at around 9pm, they were far too tired to do anything else, the heat from the sun taking the life out of them. However, instead of retiring to bed, Franky had opted that they start a new puzzle together and as a result, they had sat up until 1am trying to finish it off, neither one of them willing to accept defeat. In fact, it wasn’t until Franky checked the plastic bag the pieces had came in that they realised they had actually binned the final piece after failing to empty the bag properly. The couple laughed at their mishap, entering a giggling fit that lasted far longer than it should have and it ended up being that neither of them even placed the last piece into the puzzle, leaving it unfinished. It wasn’t until nearer 2am that they finally made the decision to get into bed and even then, it had taken Bridget a little longer to get to sleep. Franky, on the other hand, zoned out from the moment her head hit the pillow. Bridget just lay there, content to watch her partner as she thought about just how far Franky has come, feeling proud of her partner before sleep consumed her.

Franky removed her hand from Bridget’s face and snuggled deeper into the bed, shuffling closer to the psychologist so that they were practically sharing a pillow and closed her eyes, hoping to catch a little more sleep before having to face the day ahead.

A little over an hour later, Franky woke up to an empty bed. Her eyes were still closed when she reached over to Bridget’s side, green eyes narrow with confusion when she finally opened them. The bed was still warm, which meant that Bridget hadn’t been gone for long but Franky still missed her nonetheless. She stretched her arms out again, legs joining them this time. Her ears perked at the sound of cupboards opening through the silence of the house, signalling Bridget’s presence in the kitchen. The brunette rubbed her face with her hands before getting out of the bed and making it up quickly and neatly. She padded her way through to the kitchen, running her hand through her hair as if to tame it and scratched the back of her head when she finally approached the counter. Another yawn.

Bridget turned at the sudden yet quiet sound and smiled.

“Hey you. Sleep good?” She leaned up for a peck, continuing to make them coffee.

Franky hummed, sitting down at the counter rather than the table as she inhaled the aroma of the coffee being made. “I was seeing jigsaw pieces every time I closed my eyes.” She joked, hands drumming away quietly on the countertop.

Bridget let out a snort, pouring the steaming liquid into their respective mugs. She turned to give Franky hers before leaning back on the counter beside her, hands clasping around her own mug.

“What’s your plan for today?” Franky asked after taking a sip.

“I’ve got a couple of reports to finish off,” the blonde rolled her eyes, “the sooner I get started the better, I need a holiday from that place, believe me.”

Franky smiled softly. She would love a holiday, especially with Bridget. There were so many places she wanted to visit and Bridget would be there to enjoy them with her.

“Well, when I get back this arvo, we can start planning one, take a bit of time off, how does that sound?”

The blonde hummed as she sipped her coffee, “Mmm, I knew there was a reason I loved you.” It was a clear joke but Franky still feigned offence.

Franky’s jaw dropped in a wide, playful smirk, a laugh escaping from her. “And here I thought you were just after my hot bod.”

Bridget gently shoved at her arm, the pair breaking out into a laugh. Franky’s smile faded slightly as she took note of the time, she’d need to start getting ready soon if she was to meet Erica on time. She was beginning to regret her decision, wishing that she could just stay at home and relax with Bridget instead. Bridget, noticing Franky’s sudden change in mood, put her mug down and came to stand behind her partner, hands massaging her shoulders.

“You’ll be alright, baby. I’m proud of you.”

The younger woman smiled appreciatively and looked up at Bridget, leaning up for a chaste kiss.

The rest of the morning seemed rushed for Franky as she tried to get breakfast made whilst also trying to get showered and dressed. Bridget had offered to take over on cooking duties but Franky had stubbornly refused, telling Bridget to make a start on her reports so that she’d be finished them sooner. Eventually, Franky had mastered the idea of multitasking and, after taking her time with eating her food, jumped into a quick – what she had hoped to be a five minute - shower before throwing on the first items of clothing that she could find, settling on an ash sweater, black jeans and boots. She quickly fixed her hair and stuck it up into a ponytail. She walked back into the kitchen and went into the fridge, taking out a bottle of water. The brunette could feel eyes on her as she shut the door and turned around to meet Bridget’s gaze. The older woman had been admiring the way that Franky’s jeans clung to her behind and smirked at being caught out.

Franky, who would have loved nothing more than to tease Bridget for her staring, decided against starting anything that she knew probably wouldn’t be finished, mostly due to Bridget needing to finish her reports. With another quick glance to the clock, the younger woman’s brow furrowed. It was 11:45. She didn’t realise that it had taken her so much time to get ready and figured it was all down to what she had thought was a short and brief shower… So what if she got carried away with singing in there? The brunette let out a sigh, not exactly wanting to leave before walking over to Bridget. She leaned down to kiss her, short yet conveying nothing but love. When she pulled away, Bridget was looking at her with so much adoration in her eyes.

“I’ll see you later.” The blonde had said.

Franky smiled, giving her another kiss. “I love you, be home soon.”

She made her way to the front door, grabbing her khaki utility jacket and pulling it over her arms. Franky sat in her car for a few more moments, exhaling through puffed cheeks as she thought about the situations that she got herself into at times. Finally deciding to get the meeting over with, she started her car and headed to the Galleria.

It was a short drive. Shorter than what Franky would have liked as she found herself approaching Starbucks, entering the café as her steps came to a slow halt, glancing around the room to see if Erica had already arrived. As her eyes studied her surroundings, taking in unfamiliar faces, Franky all but zoned out from the world around her and almost jumped when a voice sounded from directly beside her. She snapped her head to the side only to be met with a casual smile from Erica Davidson, dressed in a simple white sundress, her hair – now with curled ends - sitting over her shoulders.

“Hey, you made it.” Erica sounded far too familiar for Franky’s liking. She was looking at her as though an old friend would, as if their next step was to hug you and ask you how you’d been.

Franky pressed her lips together in a tight smile, eyebrows raising slightly as she shrugged. “Told ya I’d be here.” Her tone wasn’t rude but it wasn’t exactly friendly either.

Erica’s smile slowly dropped from her face, gesturing towards an empty table. “Shall we?”

“Lead the way.” Franky felt shy. She didn’t want to take control over the situation until she figured out what the other woman’s angle was.

The two walked, Erica a few steps ahead whilst Franky kept a respectable distance as she followed the blonde to an empty table. It felt as though Erica had chosen the furtherest table possible before she finally came to stop at a chair. The brunette sat opposite her, keeping her jacket on and crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back in her chair. Erica maintained a more casual stance, leaning forward in her seat, legs crossed under the table and her hands sat in front of her. An awkward silence fell over their table despite the ambiance of the rest of the café.

“Do you want anything to drink?” The older woman looked over to the counter.

Franky gave a shake of her head. “Nuh, I’m good.” Again, she kept it short. “But don’t let that stop you.”

The other woman also refused. Franky looked at her with a furrowed brow, confusion filling her green eyes as nostrils flared.

“You invited me to a coffee shop and you don’t even want coffee?” She snorted. “Why am I even here?” She remembered saying those same words to the blonde, sat in a similar position to what they were in now only it was back at Wentworth inside the former’s governor’s office.

“You look great. Your hair… You suit it longer.” No response. “I saw that you escaped from Wentworth.” Silence. “You always were big on the theatrics.” She tried to make a joke but Franky’s face hardened.

The brunette looked at her with anger in her eyes. “Are you fucking kidding me? You have no idea what that was like for me, I hate that fucking place, I never want to be back there again and you think that it was all part of a big fucking joke? Trying to prove my innocence was some fucking power trip?” She couldn’t stop her voice from cracking as the memories of what she had gone through flooded her mind.

Erica looked regretful. Apologetic even. “Franky, that’s not-”

“Spare me the bullshit and just tell me what you wanted to say.” Franky didn’t mean to go off on her but she couldn’t believe the nerve she had to make those comments.

The two woman just stared at each other from across the table.

“Why’d you leave?” Franky’s gaze was intense, burning a hole into Erica as she awaited an answer. It was a feeling that Erica both desired and hated once upon a time.

“I had to.”

“Bullshit.” The quip came at her fast.

The older woman held eye contact with the brunette.

“Channing was already making claims about me to the board, he wanted me out and then after what happened with Jacs… It only added fuel to the fire. It was a matter of time before the board investigated me so I made it simple for them. I resigned.” The response appeared calculated but Franky struggled to catch any indication that the blonde was lying but then again, she also had a history in law and it wouldn’t be the first time she had failed to recognise the dishonesty of Erica.

Franky nodded. “You wanna know what I think happened?” She waited for a response, leaning forward when she got one, her tone dropping, “Your reputation was being threatened. You had this need, this desire to be seen as the good governor but it all started to fall apart. The screws hated your guts, you couldn’t control the women, the prison was receiving bad press and you couldn’t handle that you were responsible for it so you ran before it could fuck with your career.” Erica refused to meet Franky’s eyes. The brunette couldn’t stop from smirking as she spoke the truth, only confirmed by the fidgeting woman opposite her when she dropped eye contact. “You were a good governor, Erica, you just had a lot of fucked up shit to work out.”

The blonde finally met her eyes but still refused to give her the satisfaction of being right. Franky uncrossed her arms, bringing them to rest on to the tabletop as her fingers linked together. The movement allowing for the light above them to shine briefly over her engagement ring, catching Erica’s attention. The former governor’s eyes darted from the ring and back up to Franky’s face.

“I never pegged you for the marrying type,” it wasn’t an insult, she was just surprised that someone has finally managed to tame the infamous womanising Franky Doyle.

The younger woman glanced down at her ring, removing her hands from the table and crossing her arms back over her chest as a sign of defence. She didn’t want to involve Bridget in this, she wasn’t any of Erica’s business and Franky didn’t want her to potentially cause any trouble at Bridget’s place of work. It would be inappropriate for her to begin disclosing details of her private life to her partner’s colleague’s client, not that Franky had any plans for sharing information about their relationship in the first place. She racked her brain for the best tactic to avoid this particular conversation.

“Engaged, actually.” It came to her quick. “What about you? Finally settled down with that bloke of yours?”

Erica gave an exaggerated exhale through her nose, lips curving into a look of humour, nose twitching. “Still engaged.” She held up her left hand to show the same ring from all those years ago just sitting there. Alone.

The humorous look on Erica’s face caused an inadvertent closed-lip smile on Franky’s, green eyes softening. It sounded as though Erica had said those words a thousand times already, as if she had been asked that question more than she could count. Franky let out a low whistle, her eyes became teasing.

“What’s wrong with him? Hairline receding?” She kept her tone light. “Likes the grog a bit too much?” Erica laughed quietly as she rolled her eyes. Franky’s jaw dropped, her head tilted questioningly. She leaned forward over the edge of the table as if what she was about to say was a secret. “He’s not gay, is he?”

The blonde couldn’t stop the chuckle that had escaped her, shaking her head at boldness of Franky’s humour. The other woman appeared to be getting more relaxed, a flicker of the young boisterous inmate who had once teased her in the library and her office shining through for a minute. Franky sat back in her chair, tongue poking out from between her teeth, her dimples pronounced on her cheeks. Erica exhaled another laugh from the back of her throat.

“We’re setting a date soon.” It was a lie. Erica had only told him that to appease him and to get him off her back about wedding plans. “Things have just been… Work’s gotten in the way. For both of us.” Mostly Erica.

The brunette nodded. “Heard ya went back to law?”

“Not exactly,” Franky looked interested which encouraged Erica to continue. “After Wentworth, I went back to work at my father’s law firm in Sydney for a year and now, I’m the head of PR at his Melbourne firm and have been for two and a half years.” Franky nodded, not really surprised that she had went into PR.

“So no politics then?” Franky felt it to be appropriate to ask given the rumours that had been spread about Erica using corrections as a way to get into a political career.

Erica shook her head, “I considered it but given the timing with what had happened at Wentworth, I decided that bad press wouldn’t be a good look for someone under a constant public eye.” The brief slip up wasn’t unheard but Franky didn’t care enough about it to call Erica out, she knew that the blonde was only in it for the reputation she’d receive, it wasn’t a secret. “What about you? I hear you’re making quite the name for yourself in law.” She almost sounded proud but tried her best to reign it in, not wanting to overstep her boundaries.

Franky tried to remain humble but she knew as well as anyone that she was well on her way to becoming that shit-hot lawyer she’d boasted about being back in prison. She shrugged. “Legal Relief gave me a chance after I was paroled, pretty soon I’ll be leading my own cases.” The younger woman didn’t want to go into too much detail, she hated talking about herself, especially when it came to success stories. Franky was proud of herself, well aware of how hard she had worked and was continuing to work in order to achieve her goal.

The pair smiled softly at one another. Erica had always believed in Franky, she just needed that extra push to believe in herself and she was grateful that Franky had found it even if that push hadn’t come from Erica herself.

“Guess I owe my career to you, ay?” Franky teased.

Erica laughed again. “Please, I was just there with leaflets, you were the one doing all the work.”

Franky chuckled, appreciating that they could joke with one another. It wasn’t quite how it used to be, and it never would be again, but Franky didn’t want to confront Erica. She wanted to make peace and it appeared that their conversation was going that way. Her eyes darted to the counter before meeting Erica’s.

“How about that coffee then?” She smiled when Erica agreed, sensing that they had found common ground between them and made her way to the counter. She ordered an americano for herself and a cappuccino for her companion after Erica had told her a preference, taking them over to the table shortly after.

The pair sat, Franky looking more comfortable as they began a light conversation. Erica had asked how the other inmates were doing – Boomer, Doreen and Liz specifically – and expressed her condolences to Franky about Bea’s passing. Though she had been desperate to question Franky about Joan Ferguson, she thought of better of it, knowing that the older woman had been a controversial topic on the news even during her reign of the prison. What did surprised Erica, however, was that Franky spoke so openly about her newfound friendships with Will Jackson and Vera Bennett – of all people. Franky told her of Vera and Will’s desire to truly make the prison a better place for the women and had briefly mentioned Vera’s pregnancy, the two of them sharing a laugh at Franky’s comment.

“Who’d have thought she had it in her, ay.”

The time began to fly past as they learned more about each other. Franky opening up about her reconciliation with her dad whilst Erica shared a look of somber as she mentioned her mother’s passing just three months ago, explaining that this was partially why she was seeing a counsellor. After a while, the blonde finally gained up the courage to ask the question that had been playing on her mind since running into Franky on Friday.

“That woman you were with on Friday…” She watched Franky’s expression carefully, not wanting to have to break down the barrier that Franky had just dropped again so soon. “I’m presuming she’s your partner?”

Franky sighed, taking a drink from her almost empty coffee cup. She figured she could at least humour Erica’s curiosity. The brunette nodded, glancing quickly at her ring.

“Yeah.” An inhalation of breath.

Erica gave her a smile. “I’ve seen her around when I’ve had appointments, she’s always appeared very friendly, always smiles when I pass her.”

Franky’s eyes softened, not able to stop her smile as she thought about Bridget’s nature. It didn’t come as a surprise to her that Bridget would make the effort to make everyone she encountered feel valued and welcome, whether it was just a smile in the corridor or a full blown conversation, Bridget had a natural aura about her that left people feeling warm.

“I am happy for you, Franky. Truly… And I’m glad that you’ve found someone.” There was a hint of sadness in her voice.

Franky nodded. “She’s a good person. I’ve never felt anything like the way I do about her.”

The words came out without a second thought. However, Franky didn’t exactly want to be having this conversation with Erica Davidson of all people. Erica, sensing Franky’s discomfort at lowering all of her defences, quickly changed the topic. It was for her sake as much as it was for Franky’s. The blonde didn’t hold a candle for the woman in the front of her but she was finding it difficult not to remember how Franky would look at her or how she would lean in close to whisper words that shot arousal straight to Erica’s core. She meant what she had said though, she was happy for Franky and she could see that by the look in her eyes, she was head over heels with her partner.

“Tell me more about this sister of yours.” Erica’s eyebrows raised as she leaned on her elbows, grinning when Franky’s face lit up in a beaming smile.

They talked for at least another half hour. The conversation coming to a natural halt as they each stood from their respective chairs, walking out of the café together, Franky’s hands in her jacket pockets. The pair stopped just off the side to the entrance of Starbucks, turning to face one another, a respectable distance between them. Franky took a deep breath, her shoulders rising in a shrug as she done so.

“It was good to see ya again.” Franky finally broke the silence.

Erica nodded in immediate response, a small smile playing on her lips. They were both aware that this would probably be the last time they saw each other. There was no reason to keep in touch after clearing the air between them, finally reaching the closure that they should’ve had years ago. However, neither woman knew how to end their time together. Eyes just watched one another’s.

“Maybe I’ll see you in court some day?” Erica teased, implying that she may return to the courtroom.

Franky laughed, dropping her gaze to the ground before lifting it again and nodding. “Better be prepared to get your arse kicked then.”

The pair chuckled. The moment was interrupted by Franky’s phone ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket, face immediately brightening at Bridget’s name appearing on the screen. The brunette looked at Erica.

“I gotta take this,” Erica nodded, “it really was great to see ya again.” There nothing but sincerity in Franky’s voice.

The blonde smiled. “I’ll see you, Franky.” And with that, Erica turned away, walking out of Franky’s life for a second time.

As Erica was turning, Franky answered her phone.

“Gidge, hey, I was just on my way home.” Erica could hear the smile still sitting on Franky’s face. “Yeah, everything’s great… Oh yeah?” Franky’s response came, her voice getting quieter as Erica got further away. “Don’t burn the place down though, ay.” With one last glance over her shoulder, Erica smiled at the brunette standing as she talked on her phone, completely unaware of the world around her, attention focused solely on the woman on the other side of the phone. Her dimples shining on her cheeks, sparkling green eyes filled with love. For the first time in her life, Erica felt content that she had made the right decision in leaving Wentworth when she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought. As always, I do not own or am associated with the show or the characters.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought. As always, I do not own or am associated with the show or characters.


End file.
